Life lately and life's surprises

Earlier yesterday my leg sunk knee deep into a pile of mud I assumed was hard enough to walk on. Good thing someone pointed me to a faucet nearby so I was able to wash up. Didn't want to turn into The Thing first thing in the morning. Thank God it's just mud and not poo, and I was wearing shorts so none of my clothes got dirty yeeyyy.

That's the latest. Now let's backtrack.

Our small business is up!

My sister and I recently launched (by that I mean - shared our facebook page to friends hehe) Pocket Pies PH and we just delivered our first orders this week (thanks to my ever supportive officemates - don't we all start somewhere? XD). It's been very busy specially for my sister because she's the one who bakes and I'm only responsible for taking orders, marketing, and accompanying her to the grocery. I wish I could help her but baking always frustrates me, I'm pretty sure I'll just mess with her progress. The process is really tedious specially when it's time to cut, mark, and fork the dough. In the near future we'd like to upgrade our kitchen, buy a new refrigerator, replace our cooking range, get a dough flattener, and more! Everything to save my sister from burning out from all the baking haha.

I admit I've been very impatient about it but looking at the things now I could only smile and thank God that we finally made it to the start. My sister has been baking savory pies for the family during special occasions and while I've been coaxing her to take it to the next level, you know - sell it -, she gets way too hesitant about it, and we always end up joking around inventing names for our imaginary food stall and planning the menu. Would you believe it, after all the jokes, we've finally begun!

I'll take a plug, Pocket Pies PH is a small business run by 2 broke girls hoping to make it big in the food industry, sosyaaal. But really, we're just two people who'd like to put our savory meat pies out there and see how far it goes. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more details! :D

Bright lights

The most decent shot I have of the super moon. I hope it's a super full moon though, the warm colors would've been epic on camera. Looks like a UFO is preparing to land. WHO KNOWS.

Busy designing

As a graphic designer, I can't believe I haven't been doing proper mock-ups for my outputs. Thank God for free psd mock-up downloads, now my works are being showcased beautifully! I'm seriously amazed at how smart objects work. :D

I've been updating my portfolio site (www.yanbirog.com) with my recent works so if you're interested, feel free to check it out!

Right now I've just finished working on a band shirt and a logo for a sweets shop, yey! Also, ever since the first wedding invites I made I've been recommended to do more and now I'm working on three invitations.

Four if you count this one I'm starting soon... for us.

OMG I'M ENGAGED!

Black stones, infinity, and skulls. 'Til death do us part.

My boyfriend of five years, my first boyfriend and my college sweetheart too hihi, surprised me on my birthday with unexpected guests, a cake that threatened to burn my forehead lol, and a small red box that came with a familiar question. And then I said yes!

Right now all we have is a date, the rest I'm gonna stress about in the months to come haha. Whew.

What a happy birthday!

My blueberry cheesecake deserves some space. Please don't count the candles.

Won a blogging contest

Nuffnang finally announced the winners of their Uskoop blogging contest and I'm one of them! So happy to have snagged 5th prize! I just won ₱3,000 shopping credits and aaargh I can't wait to buy the items on my Amazon wishlist! Well, the problem would be trimming the list cos as much as I want a big haul and get all of the things I want from the US, 3k won't cut it haha. Need more funds! Thanks Uskoop and Nuffnang! Congrats to all the winners!

Aaaand... work

Nothing surprising at this point haha. I almost didn't want to include this but my mission is to overshare so...

I actually feel sorry because all my energy and creativity is being exhausted by my sidelines that I'm fully depleted by the time I get to the office. Add to the fact that it's the night shift so you know, the tiredness, the darkness, it's all making me want to embrace the night and reward myself with a long long sleep. How dare I.

But yeah, it's unfair. I feel sorry that I'm happier with my other jobs. But it's not like I'll quit my regular work. I'm not ready to starve and I won't be able to buy us that glorious ELBA cooking range that's been speaking to me since yesterday! Aaaargh! And that no frost inverter ref that's gonna solve our ice cave problem. The frost has gone China mode and is busy occupying the entire freezer, leaving no space for fish. It's snaking out of its territory too, pushing out the borders. What I mean is, the ice is growing too much it's pushing the doors, it just won't shut properly now.

Yep, that's on my side! How's life lately? :D

So antok

It's one of those hard Monday nights at work. Where I slept the night of Sunday and woke up feeling lively the next day. After 12 or so hours I get tired, exactly when my shift is about to start. The struggle begins.

I was supposed to get a hot Christmas drink from Starbucks but the line is snaking outside, it's crazy (and discouraging) so I settled two stores away and bought some ice cream instead. A scoop of espresso gelato has helped, but to be sure I've complemented it with a slice of New York cheesecake 'cos I may be needing the extra sugar rush tonight. I LOVE NY CHEESECAKE!!! That's about all the rush I got from it.

I'M STILL SUPER SLEEPY.

I got to work pretty early but I learned that DST just happen so the time at Minnesota fell by back by an hour. We're now 14 hrs ahead of them.

The good: I can come to work late. 10pm means 8am to them and they mostly get in around 9am. More time to lounge around my area in case I come too early.

The bad: Afternoon meetings will be a fuss, imagine if they set a meeting at 3pm CST. Early for them, late for me. That'll be 5am here. The time when I'm supposed to feel lax and get ready to leave. It's not like I can just leave after meetings immediately, I have to stay a while in case something pops up. Hay.

The ugly: Let's keep things beautiful and skip this!

Time to go! :D Hoping for a great week ahead!

ETA: WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT I HAVE A MEETING IN 1 MINUTE. AAAARG.

ETA 2: LOL IT JUST GOT CANCELLED. Please don't re-sched this day. I'm going home na talaga!

Life Lately and a bunch of undistributed cards

I suddenly missed this format plus I'm busy procrastinating at work so here goes!

Reading

Right now, I'm jumping between Before we were Strangers and Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, but BWWS is mostly still on hold. I want to finish it before we become strangers but I'm close to tagging it as DNF. New acronym! I learned it while browsing my friends' Goodreads account. It stands from Did Not Finish, and yeah there's such a tag. It makes reading halfway count even though we all know it's just an excuse to add a book to our e-shelves.

Writing

This. Nothing paid lol.

Listening

To the loud hum of the aircon vents in the office that will eventually merge into silence.

Thinking

About when to finish this report due at work. lol

Smelling

Nothing!

Wishing

I had something interesting to watch lately. Scarlet Heart Ryeo just ended and it had me in SO MUCH TEARS. It was tragic but it ended right. Even though the producers had a creative license to that particular part of Korean History, they still made it so that nothing was tampered in the books, and all the interesting chapters remained unwritten chronicles.

Even Hae Soo, whom we all want to stay as a royal consort, didn't stay long in the palace and wasn't even officially registered as a royal concubine, hence her character wasn't written in history. It's all these unwritten possibilities that drive creatives cre-azy no?

Wearing
Shirt, shorts, slippers

Loving
That I'm up early and the skies are rather gloomy this morning. That means I can run outside. Or not cos I'm too lazy for anything lately.

Wanting

Needing
To seriously do some physical exercise. The thought of doing yoga, learning the jump rope, and running (on a gloomy morning) all sound exciting. BUT I'M TOO LAZY DAMMIT

Feeling

Semi-regretful that I didn't get to hand out any of my blogger business cards last Saturday at Blogapalooza. I designed it quickly in the office (shhh) and had it printed at my boyfriend's. Then I labored through cutting them and manually rounding the edges. Thanks for the help Jeckie and Tito Larry! <3

This year's Blogapalooza was, I dunno, less exciting? I don't know why it has to be held twice this year. I also didn't hear much hype about it, unlike two years ago, when I started taking blogging seriously. I'm thinking if Blogapalooza appeals mostly to starting bloggers, 'cos maybe seasoned ones are too busy to attend events like these? Curious. Haha.

For the most part, we just strolled around. Thanks Jeckie for coming with me. I was looking at the booths and was too shy to inquire. OH THAT'S WHY. I should've come earlier when there are still a lot of people looking around! XD

Smaller (but cuter) venue, fewer sponsors (because it was held twice this year?), fewer people (I came in around 5pm so maybe the crowd has left already). Glad to have bumped into Dems and Leo though! :D

Life lately and yet another layout change

Welcome to (yet another) layout change!

Full width and left sidebar. I'm trying to get used to it, but I like it. What do you think? Should I stop with the frequent updates? I know I should lol.

If I were to backup all my previous templates, I would've collected enough to offer them ala Gooyabi, Sora, or NBT. But whatever, I'm not confident enough to take credit, moreso, provide support.

I still don't understand why I can't seem to stick with a layout for at least 3 months. Is it because I worked as a web developer? I don't know of anyone who changes themes this often. I also like to constantly update my logo. Talk about a branding nightmare.

Taco (seasoning) overload

I tried this burrito bowl recipe from Tasty and it was okay. Haha. It looked super delicious on the video, but it's only keri lang level in my kitchen. My sister loved it though. Maybe because I was the one who prepared it? You kinda get immune to the deliciousness of your own food diba haha.

Then in the afternoon my sister baked pies. They were shaped like hopiang baboy but the filling was chili con carne. Sarap! We're actually selling them, follow Pocket Pies PH on Facebook to learn more. We just started so there's not much to see on the page haha but if you can help us promote we'll bake a mean bunch for you! :D

My online portfolio is up!

I finally turned my old blog into my official online portfolio. Check out www.yanbirog.com and tell me what you think. :D

My 2nd car accident

I didn't mean to write it so fondly, but yeah. Thursday last week I was on the way to the office when I got hit by a truck. It looked like an 8 wheeler. It was turning right to East Ave. (from Elliptical road) and I was beside it. I should've stopped to let him turn but I thought it would be too late because we were too close, his curve could hit my front bumper, so I did this stupid thing of speeding up then BOOM. I was hit at the rear bumper. The car shook and I got startled. I stopped at the side to see if the damned truck stopped too, but it didn't so oh well.

For some reason I wasn't too fazed by the incident. In case the truck driver stopped, I would've known what to say in my defense and I could've saved myself repair costs too, but that didn't happen. Looking back I felt I shouldn't have given him the leeway to pause on the curve, I should've just sped up entirely. Or not cos that sounds reckless. But seriously, I wish I had accelerated faster, 'cos if I was any bit slower I could've been hit at the driver's side and that's gonna be, uhm, sadder.

My bumper got dented and part of tail lights shattered. Good thing the lights are still working, yey?

Review: Smart Bro Plan 499 (6GB monthly + FREE LTE pocket wifi)

Curious about this offering? Here's my take on it. Who knows I might save you from a useless subscription, or not. We'll see!

Promo valid until December 31, 2016

When I heard about this promo I knew I had to get it. In this country where we're so deprived of internet speed, a slight raise in data cap or a promise of increased minimum speed will make us scramble to our feet for an upgrade. Most of the time it only serves to strengthen the chains keeping us enslaved to these telcos, but there are times it makes being their cows much bearable. Enough metaphors lol.

So this Saturday I went to Smart SM Fairview to inquire, bringing along with me 2 valid IDs, a billing statement, and cash amounting to the monthly service fee just in case I jump in with the subscription. Those are the usual requirements, and it still holds.

According to Smart's website, here's what's new:

• Bigger data for all plans  - ₱299 for 3.5GB, ₱499 for 6GB, ₱799 for 10GB, ₱999 for 15GB
• Faster Speed - 48 to 256kbps minimum speed with 80% reliability. This minimum speed achuchuchu has been largely misused lately, I remember seeing a SkyMobi commercial saying they offer 12kbps minimum speed with 80% reliability, I was like wtf are we still living in a 2G world, surfing over WAP? Or did they want us to read that off as 12mbps? At least they're honest haha.
• Free device on all plans - No cash out needed for the free pocket wifi. For plan 299 you get a 3G pocket wifi, for the rest, you get an LTE pocket wifi. Uhm, yey.

That's definitely worth checking out don't you think? I don't know how much Smart has improved its infrastructure, but to be able to promise these "much" to its subscribers (see, I have higher internet standards but where I live that's already a stretch offer lol), I'm about to cry here guys. Srsly. Joke lang anuba.

Anywaaaay,

Before signing anything I made sure the following was clear to me:

• The free pocket wifi is an LTE one and not the older 4G units they have. Customer rep assured me they're giving an LTE unit, provided by Evoluzn (not Huawei or ZTE).
• I can pay my bills online.
• The 6GB monthly cap is a continuous one and doesn't have a daily limit.
• If I consume my allocation before the next monthly cycle, I can opt to buy additional data packages and it will be added to my bill. Fair enough.

I have to wait for my application to be approved before I can pick up my unit. So I did. The next day (Sunday) I received a call from them telling me that the unit is ready for pickup. Earlier today (Monday), I drove to the mall to get the unit after paying the ₱499 down payment.

It was nice that the customer rep setup my username/password for me. Saved me the hassle of fumbling through the admin page. I mean, if you're not too arte about giving your password, why not diba haha.

Unboxing

Do you even need this? But anyway,

I personally don't like pocket wifis with screens like that cos it's ugly. I don't like how it lights up and I don't like the fonts. I prefer those with little icons lighting up cos it's cuter but that's just my kaartehan.

Off the box you get your unit w/ battery, a charger, a charging cable, and a bunch of manuals nobody really reads. This unit is an Evoluzn model FXPR2L, and it has a microSD card slot. It's good to note the battery has 2050mAH capacity, for a small device I'm assuming it'll last long. The front is still printed with their old logo, so obviously it's an old stock but whatever, it still works; and I prefer the old logo anyway.

Okay, this review will consist mainly of speed tests. I will update this regularly, whenever I get into a new area, and check over time if the quality of my connection will be consistently strong (cos right now it frkn is and I'm impressed). I'm trying to manage my expectations seeing that my plan just got activated haha. But we'll see.

Dashboard

You can access the router admin panel by going to 192.168.1.1. From there you can login using the default username and password (make sure to change it), update your wifi SSID and password, and check messages. I have yet to find an android app that makes the admin panel easier to navigate, as in like a mobile app where I can easily check messages and even text.

To manage your acount, pay bills, and update your profile info, login to your My Smart dashboard by heading over to www.smartbrosettings.net (always access with a www), or my.smart.com.ph (works better). Sign up for an account, and everything will be pretty straightforward from there.

Speed Tests

I'll try to keep the tests regular, but maybe monthly only 'cos the test itself is consuming a lot of data lol. But so far, so good! Since we already have DSL at home, it's a good thing to have when you're outside or travelling. :)

Date	Time	Location	Download (mbps)	Upload (mpbs)	Ping (ms)
Oct 26 2016	1:10 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	26.14	11.85	19
Oct 26 2016	1:11 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	23.61	12.57	19
Oct 26 2016	1:12 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	25.79	9.75	19
Oct 26 2016	1:13 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	32.66	16.79	20
Oct 26 2016	1:15 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	27.40	10.71	20
Nov 20 2016	3:28 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	23.76	17.00	17
Nov 20 2016	3:29 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	18.87	15.45	20
Jan 4 2017	3.32 AM	UP AyalaLand Technohub (LTE covered)	31.27	15.89	16

Update

I think my speed tests are enough proof that it's really fast especially in LTE covered areas.
I tried using it in Batangas City and it's pretty weak there. Signal at our place in Fairview used to be soooo bad but now it's pretty good. I can connect in my room now! Hehe

So, should you get it?

If you need something fast and reliable while on the go - go get this plan.
If you need something to use at home regularly - get yourself a DSL connection instead. Capped services like this isn't good for home use, specially one that involves a lot of video streaming. :)

Hope this guide helped you somehow!

#FreeTheJoy with Limited Edition Cadbury Dairy Milk Christmas Flavors

Cadbury Dairy Milk is back at it again with their limited edition Christmas flavors! I definitely missed this. They're the perfect gift and each flavor was crafted with utmost quality, ensuring they bring out the most authentic holiday feels.

Chocolates may be default Christmas gifts, much like mugs, towels, and calendars, but Cadbury Dairy Milk makes it more special by letting out three flavors that has qualities you can match with your friend's personalities!

Cadbury Dairy Milk Black Forest

For that friend who's always got your back, honestly brutal with your stupid life choices but always offering sound advice. Sweet yet strong, you'll never go wrong. The Black Forest is for your Best Friend. This treat reminds me of Ivy, you got this girl!

Cadbury Dairy Milk French Vanilla

For that person who's full of surprises and holds your heart dear. To that person you feel so at home with. My Forever deserves the French Vanilla. Hi Jeckie <3

Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Mousse

Light and fun, always a delight to be with. Someone you can drag anywhere and will never complain. I've giving the Chocolate Mousse to my Certified Mare! That's my sister, Terai!

See? These chocolates are the perfect gift as they each have unique flavors that would definitely match the personalities of the closest people to your heart! Ready for Christmas?

Cadbury Dairy Milk Black Forest, Cadbury Dairy Milk French Vanilla, and Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Mousse are available in 180g packs for a suggested retail price of ₱180.00. Hurry and get all flavors – available until supplies last! #FreeTheJoy this Christmas with Cadbury Dairy Milk!

Life Lately and look, an invitation set!

We're flying to Singapore next year!

One of my cousins is getting married at SG next year, and since it falls on my sister's birth month too, we decided to go for it for a double celebration! I got three tickets for my parents and my sister first. I told them I had to wait for the result of my US visa application before deciding if I could join, and because I got denied (more about it below), I booked myself a ticket na! But that's after waiting for another seat sale. I got a roundtrip ticket for 5k (yay?). Honestly, I still find it super mahal 'cos I still have to pay travel tax and terminal fee which is mga 2k din huhu. Juskolord ang gastos pala.

Anyway, if you want to score cheap airfares, just follow airline and promo pages on facebook, and set their visibility option to SEE FIRST. That way when you log in to facebook, edi you see them first haha. That's how I look up promos. :D

My 2nd US visa application got denied

To be honest I was surprised that I took this rejection lighter than expected. I even brought shades with me in case I come out of the embassy crying, lol, but I never got to use it. Anyway. As with my first application, I applied for a B1 (business) visa for the same purpose (client meetings) and for a shorter term (8 weeks, my last was 12).

My appointment was scheduled on a Friday at 7:25am. I was already within premises by 6:15am because I didn't want to get stuck in traffic. I parked at Ermita Center, which is nearest to the footbridge closest to the US embassy. You can park anywhere on that entire stretch. Parking fee costs 120 pesos (just 100 really but the bantays there said the extra bente is for kape kape lang lol) and you can stay until 2pm. Lo and behold when I got the receipt, it says 30 pesos for the first 3 hours. Those guys deserve some Starbucks coffee. Yung Venti. Wahaha. Pun intended.

I went in line around 7am and waited some 15 minutes before the guards started assembling people for the 7:25am appointment. There are placards showing which schedule is being served currently, and you have to wait for the guards to replace it with your call time before you can fall in line.

By 7:20 I was already inside the complex, queueing for Step 1: Pre-screening (or something). In which I handed the officer at the window my passport and guarantee letter. He asked for the purpose of my visit, then he turned to his computer to type stuff. After a while, he returned my docs and let me queue for the next step.

Step 2: Fingerprint scanning. In which I'm lucky not to have a menopausal pinay shouting at me to freaking straighten my fingers and dry them properly before trying again for the nth time. That window was scary.

Step 3: Interview aka the moment of truth, also where you should greet the consul with all the positive energy in the world. Joke. Here I was asked a lot of questions. I was also asked for a copy of my itinerary and my previous passport with my old visa. I was left to wait for a long time, and when the consul got back I was denied ultimately, saying I should consider applying for a different visa type instead. I would like to assume H (work visa), after all, my previous visa was annotated "B in lieu of H". Haizt.

I felt bad for the person waiting behind me, but worse for myself because I haven't even properly stuck my passport back to my envelope when he shouted SHAME! *ting ting ting* I mean, NEXT! K, last na yan.

Just finished designing an invitation set!

It's the first time I designed a wedding invitation set so I really had to research on what goes into it. Apparently, ang dami pala lol. This is pretty basic, just four cards in total. The main card, RSVP, entourage and map. When I learned about the theme which is florals, purple, and wood... I knew it'll be easy for me! I'm also so happy to learn that the client loves it! Can't wait to see it printed!

Hire me! I'm all ears (and kilig) on your wedding! :)

:D